Laser Plastic Welding 101 The latest evolution in joining technology

Josh Brown Marketing Development

Representative

Follow us @LPKF_USA

Watch the video recording here

Contact

jbrown@lpkfusa.com

or

http://www.laserplasticwelding.com/de

sign-guidelines-full LPW_Design_Guidelines.pdf

1. What is laser plastic welding?

2. Why should I care about it?

3. Is it right for my application?

1. Transmissive upper layer

2. Absorbing lower layer

3. Contact

4. Material compatibility

Infrared

808 or 980nm The Basic Process

1. Transmissive upper layer

2. Absorbing lower layer

3. Contact

4. Material compatibility

The Basic Process Does not have to be optically

transparent, just laser transparent

1. Transmissive upper layer

2. Absorbing lower layer

3. Contact

4. Material compatibility

Infrared

808 or 980nm The Basic Process

1. Transmissive upper layer

2. Absorbing lower layer

3. Contact/Clamping

4. Material compatibility

The Basic Process

1. Transmissive upper layer

2. Absorbing lower layer

3. Contact

4. Material compatibility

The Basic Process

2. Advantages

Adhesives

Hot Plate

Friction Laser

Extrusion

Ultrasonic

….picks up where other methods leave off

Lower Joining Costs

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

• No consumables

• Minimal maintenance

• Fewer failed parts

Lower Joining Costs

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Minimal Part Stress

• Localized Heat

• Small HAZ

• Sensitive Applications

Minimal Part Stress

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Hermetical Seal & Joint Strength

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

• Pull or Burst Tests

• Weld > Parent Material

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Hermetical Seal & Joint Strength

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

3D & Complex Shapes

• Laser source moves

relative to joint

3D & Complex Shapes

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Hybrid Welding

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Halogen Sources

• Halogen lamps assist in heating

• Volumetric heating

• Faster cycle times

• No need for annealing process

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

No Particulates

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

• Particulate contamination

• No frictional motion

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

No Particulates

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Laser Weld v. Friction Weld

No Particulates

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Precision

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Precision

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Aesthetically Pleasing

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Aesthetically Pleasing

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec. Medical Devices Automotive

Weld Different Materials

Weld Different Materials

• Hard-to-Soft Welds

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec.

Automotive Medical Devices Consumer Elec. Medical Devices Automotive

• Soft-to-Soft Welds

Weld Different Materials

• Melt travel monitoring

• Pyrometer

• Reflection diagnosis

• Burn detection

Process Monitoring

1. Lower Joining Costs

2. Minimal Part Stress

3. Hermetic Seal & Joint Strength

4. 3D & Complex Shapes

5. No Particulate Development

6. Precision

7. Aesthetically Pleasing Welds

8. Weld Different Materials

9. Process Monitoring

Time

Path

Joint Example

• Melt travel monitoring

• Pyrometer

• Reflection diagnosis

• Burn detection Time

Path

Joint Example

Process Monitoring

• Melt travel monitoring

• Pyrometer

• Reflection diagnosis

• Burn detection

Process Monitoring

• Melt travel monitoring

• Pyrometer

• Reflection diagnosis

• Burn detection

Process Monitoring

• Melt travel monitoring

• Pyrometer

• Reflection diagnosis

• Burn detection

Process Monitoring

3. Disadvantages

1. Initial capital investment

2. Part geometry limitations

• Transmissive layer max thickness of 3mm

3. Plastics must be optically suited

4. Tight part tolerances

• Precise part molding needed – no warpage or gaps

More Resources…

Material Compatibility Chart

Q&A

Joint Design: Radial

Q&A

Fixed laser / moving part Fixed part / moving laser

Joint Design: Lap (common)

Post-collapse Pre-collapse

Q&A Process

Mntr

Clamp Tooling

Q&A

Transparent, acrylic Hybrid: metal/acrylic All metal, dual

Laser Staking

Q&A

Material Thickness & Transmission

Q&A Q&A Reg. Q&A

System Metric (focus diameter) English

LQ-Vario 210 x 210mm 8” x 8”

110 x 110 mm 4” x 4”

LQ-Power 45 x 45mm (.6mm) 1.8” x 1.8” (23.6 mils)

110 x 110 mm (1.2mm) 4.3” x 4.3” at (47.2 mils)

154 x 154mm (1.3mm) 6.1” x 6.1” at (51.2 mils)

LQ-Integration 45 x 45 mm 1.8” x 1.8”

110 x 110 mm 4.3” x 4.3”

154x 154 mm 6.1” x 6.1”

TwinWeld 3D 600 x 600mm 23” x 23”

1,200 x 1,200mm 47” x 47”

Q&A Reg. Q&A

Q&A Reg. Q&A

Q&A Reg. Q&A

Q&A Reg. Q&A

Q&A Reg. Q&A

20 Tire Guard 2 3 Sensor Cluster 12 Side impact

Satellites

19 Gear Sensor 14 Airbag Control

Unit

18 Gear Sensor

Application Examples

Q&A Reg. Q&A

Air valve Oil level sensor Gear sensor

Key Pressure sensor Gear sensor

More Application Examples

Q&A Reg. Q&A

No-Gluing Fluidics Electronics Mechatronics

Q&A Reg. Q&A

Heating

mechanism

Radiation Friction

Infrared

Laser Spin

Vibration

High frequency

Ultrasonic

External friction Internal friction Hot gas

Conduction

Hot plate

Convection

Extrusion

Glueing Hot melting Screwing Snap fit